The Unlikely Lady (Playful Brides #3)(27)

“Easy,” he whispered huskily into her ear. “I won’t hurt you.”

She didn’t reply, only found his mouth again blindly with her own and coaxed his tongue back into contact with hers. She rubbed herself against his thigh, lightly whimpering, wanting to feel more, more, more.

The kisses slowly wound down and became more languorous. His tongue replaced by the feel of his warm, strong lips against hers. He kissed the side of her mouth, once, twice, and pulled himself away. Was he shaking a little?

So was she.

“As much as I’d love to finish what we started,” he said in a voice that was definitely shaking, “we should probably get back, my lady.”

All she could do was nod unevenly.

He took a deep breath. “My cousin might be wondering where I’ve got off to. Lucy’s one to come looking.”

Jane’s stomach plummeted. She gasped and held her breath.

Oh, my God. I just kissed Upton!





CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Jane gulped. Not only had she just kissed Upton, but she’d liked it! Worse, she was about to kiss him again. Because even though he’d said they should get back, Upton’s hands were pulling her back to him, and his mouth found hers again.

She was mindless, thoughtless, as if she were suspended in time, completely unable to stop the whirlwind of lust she’d been swept into.

This is madness. This is madness. This is madness.

She repeated the words to herself over and over, even as she met each of Upton’s thrusts with her tongue, and let her fingers tangle in his dark, curly hair again.

Oh, God. Upton was not only handsome and seductive, he was driving her wild with his mouth. How was this happening?

But it’s Upton. It’s Upton. It’s Upton.

Rational thought told her she should push him away immediately, but rational thought was long gone from this room. All she could concentrate on was the feel of his warm hand on her breast and how it intensified the ache between her thighs.

“Tell me to stop,” he demanded against her mouth.

“No,” she answered mindlessly, still cupping his slightly stubbled cheeks in her hands and kissing him back with a fervor that frightened her.

Upton seemed to have no idea who she was, and thank God for that. She’d never live it down in her own mind, regardless. Imagine how much worse it would be if he knew it was she and pushed her away.

Or did he know and was only pretending not to know, as she was? No. That couldn’t be true. But how could he not know? It made no sense. At least not until she reminded herself that until two moments ago, she hadn’t realized who he was. His voice was slurred, that was it. That’s why she hadn’t recognized it. It had been different from his normal clipped tones. Not to mention the man had obviously been drinking. God knew how much. What in heaven’s name was her excuse? At the moment she wished she’d had a swig too.

She’d wanted a scandal? She’d just scandalized herself!

He pulled her under him and lay atop her, his knee riding between her legs, and she was mindless again. His hips pressed against her most intimate spot and his mouth owned hers. The stark evidence of his arousal nudged against her thigh. When his hand came up to touch her breast, a shiver racked her body.

“Easy,” he whispered against her mouth. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”

“That’s the problem.” Her voice trembled.

He laughed a little against her mouth. It was arousing. Arousing? Upton? Oh, God, what was happening to her? She had turned into a mindless, lust-crazed beast.

His thumb lightly pressed against her nipple through the stiff fabric of her gown, and Jane’s head rolled back. His lips found the pulse in her neck, and she moaned deep in her throat. “You’re gorgeous,” he whispered. “Let me remove your mask.”

“No!” With strength she didn’t know she possessed, Jane shoved him away and pulled herself from under him. She scrambled to the far end of the settee and sat there, staring at him no doubt with wild eyes, still panting from his kisses.

“My apologies,” he said, still breathing heavily himself. “I didn’t mean to— You don’t have to take off your mask if you don’t want to.”

Jane winced. Her response had been nearly involuntary, but she should have thought it through a bit more. Surely her wild reaction would make him wonder why she was so adamant about keeping her mask in place.

“No, no,” she hurried to reassure him. “It’s not that … It’s just that…”

“I frightened you, didn’t I?”

“Yes.” She nodded. Truly, she’d scared herself, but he didn’t need to know that. Right now, now that she was on the other side of the settee, and a modicum of common sense and decency was returning to her brain, she needed to concentrate on getting out of this room quickly and with as little interaction between the two of them as possible. The more she spoke, the more she did anything, the greater the chances of him discovering her identity. That she could not live with. She would have to move to India, perhaps farther, to live this down if Upton ever discovered who she was and what he’d just done.

She’d have to find another scandal. Not this one. This one wouldn’t do at all.

“I’m sorry, my lady,” he said, and Jane heard a tinge of true regret in his voice. “I couldn’t control myself. It’s entirely unforgivable and I—”